Links for Days...
A Friday roundup, plus some new music for old ears, aka an Oldster Top 10 Playlist from Modern Sounds radio host Cliff Chenfeld.
I tend to read, watch, and listen to a lot of Oldster-adjacent content. Every other Friday I’ll pass some of it along to you in a link roundup like this one.
RIP Donald Sutherland. - Clyde Haberman in The New York Times.
I’m going to make time this weekend to watch Brats, actor Andrew McCarthy’s Hulu documentary on “Hollywood’s Brat Pack,” the group of Gen X (and Generation Jones) actors he was part of (along with Donald Sutherland’s son Kiefer) in the ‘80s and ‘90s, who all hated the name given to them by New York Magazine writer David Blum.
For his part, today Blum stands behind his choice to call them Brats in his original 1985 article. - NYMag/Vulture.
If you’re in New York City next Friday, June 28th, check out The Stonewall Jukebox: A Documentary Concert telling the story of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and its continued impact on LBGTQ culture. (Oldster contributor Ann Klein is the musical director, and Oldster contributor Michael Musto is featured.)
People with HIV are aging, and the challenges are adding up. - NPR
NYT writer Charles Blow and others on coming out later in life.
I’m looking forward to Guy Trebay’s memoir, Do Something: Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of 70s New York, out next week.
Speaking of Guy Trebay, I enjoyed his recent interview with “Unstoppable” 80-year-old model-and-much-more Lauren Hutton. - NYT Styles.
It was two days ago, but it’s never too late to revisit the history of Juneteenth, the Black Independence Day, celebrated on June 19th. - Simmone Shaha at Time.
On July 1st, my pal Caroline Sherman and her writing partner Robert Hull will launch a twelve-week run of Empire, a new musical, at New World Stages in NYC. The show “celebrates the world's most iconic building, the Empire State Building.” I’m hoping to catch a preview in early July! Get tickets...
The Millennial Midlife Crisis — Amil Niazi in NYMag/The Cut.
He Wanted to Date Younger Women - Ann Garvin in NYT Style’s Modern Love Column.
I’ve been enjoying so many posts by others here on Substack. Relevant to Oldster’s interests lately:
70something Joyce Wadler on single, platonic friends caring for each other into old age;
60something Elissa Altman on her proverbial closet’s revolving door, and finding the courage to come out and stay out.
80something Oldster Magazine Questionnaire-taker Andy Romanoff remembering his dad on Fathers’ Day;
50something Sam Baker on finally finding her “gang” in a What’s App group text.
“An Extraordinary Intergenerational Friendship,” Anne Helen Petersen’s interview with Sara Franklin, author of The Editor, a biography of iconic editor Judith Jones (she edited books by Julia Child, Anne Frank, and John Updike, to name just a few). (Sara had been a member of my now defunct Kingston Writers’ Studio.)
Speaking of intergenerational friendships, here’s a favorite. (Streisand was 21, Garland was 41 here).
🚨Time to put some new music into old ears. Here’s the monthly Oldster Top 10 by Modern Sounds radio host Cliff Chenfeld:
Welcome to the Oldster Top 10, where we listen to hundreds of new songs each month to find some wonderful new tracks from noteworthy artists who may not have caught your attention. It’s hard to find the great new music amongst the tonnage, but we are here to make music discovery much easier for you. You can find all of these songs on the Modern Sounds playlist on Spotify. Enjoy!
Aaron Frazier – Payback – Joyous, funky old school fun from a formidable falsetto singer.
Suki Waterhouse – My Fun – Upbeat, bouncy song perfect for a sunny summer.
Hozier – Too Sweet – He has one of the world’s most distinctive voices and his latest hit has that perfect combination of soul and pop in the tradition of George Michael, Hall + Oates and Sam Smith.
Larry Campbell and Theresa Williams – Desert Island Dreams – The new one from the standout roots music couple features their timeless, locked in vocal harmonies and Larry’s world-class guitar playing.
Beabadoobee/Laufey – A Night to Remember – These two ascending new singers love the sound of early 60s Bossa Nova, and they do a nice job on giving this sultry tune a 21st century feel.
Tyler Childers – In Your Love – Alt-ish country star’s new song is so intimate it would sound as right at an intimate venue as it did at MSG where he recently sold out two nights.
Noah Kahan – Stick Season – in the early 2010s, we had the folk takeover of pop with Mumford and the Sons and the Lumineers, and a related trend is now happening with Kahan and Zack Bryan. Happily, it seems there’s always an audience for leanly produced, well played and sung, timeless tunes.
Bonny Light Horseman – I know You Know – Folk/country outfit has a great new album out called Keep Me On Your Mind /See You Free.
D4VD – My House Is Not A House – Good example of the fuzzy, effortless soul that is getting through to a larger audience these days.
Mildlife – Yourself – The latest from my favorite Australian pysch fusion band evokes yacht rock, with a more proggy sheen.
Well, I’d say there are enough links here to keep you busy this first official summer weekend. Happy summer solstice, and thank you, as always, for your support!
-Sari
Thank you!
Random thought - so much of life is about unlearning what no longer works or never did? I love the concept and more than that the practice of a beginners mind.